System and Method for Association and Uplink Adaptation in a Relay Network

1. A method for allocating resources of a wireless communication system, the method including: determining power levels of downlink (DL) communication channels between a base station and a user agent (UA) and between each of a plurality of relay nodes (RNs) and the UA; determining coupling losses of uplink (UL) communication channels between the base station and the UA and between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA; and when the power level of the DL communication channel between the base station and the UA is greater than the power levels of the DL communication channels between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA, and the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between at least one of the RNs and the UA are less than the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between the base station and the UA: allocating a DL communication channel resource on the base station to the UA, and allocating a UL communication channel resource on the at least one of the plurality of RNs to the UA.

2. The method of claim 1 , including, when the power level of the DL communication channel between the base station and the UA is less than the power level of the DL communication channel between at least one of the plurality of RNs and the UA, and the coupling losses of the UL communication channels between each of the RNs and the UA are greater than the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between the base station and the UA: allocating a DL communication channel resource on the at least one of the plurality of RNs to the UA, and allocating a UL communication channel resource on the base station to the UA.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base station is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node B (eNB).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining power levels of DL communication channels between the base station and the UA and between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA includes: receiving a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS); and using the SRS to determine a power level of a DL communication channel between at least one of the base station and the UA and one of the plurality of RNs and the UA.

5. The method of claim 1 , including using a margin to modify a value of at least one of the power levels and the coupling losses.

6. A method for allocating resources of a wireless communication system, the method including: receiving sounding reference signals (SRSs) from at least one of a UA and a plurality of relay nodes (RNs), the SRSs describing power levels of uplink (UL) communication channels between the UA and a base station and between the UA and each of the plurality of RNs; when a power level of a UL communication channel between the UA and at least one of the plurality of RNs is greater than the power level of the UL communication channel between the UA and the base station, identifying one of the RNs having the UL communication channel with the greatest power level out of the plurality of RNs; determining a receiving power of the UA from the base station and a receiving power of the UA from one of the plurality of RNs; and when the receiving power of the UA from the base station is greater than the receiving power of the UA from one of the plurality of RNs: allocating UL communication channel resources on both the base station and the one of the plurality of RNs to the UA, and allocating a downlink (DL) communication channel resource on the base station to the UA.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the base station is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node B (eNB).

8. The method of claim 6 , including using a margin to modify a value of at least one of the power levels and the receiving powers.

9. A base station for allocating resources of a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a processor, the processor being configured to: determine power levels of downlink (DL) communication channels between the base station and a user agent (UA) and between each of a plurality of relay nodes (RNs) and the UA; determine coupling losses of uplink (UL) communication channels between the base station and the UA and between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA; and when the power level of the DL communication channel between the base station and the UA is greater than the power levels of the DL communication channels between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA, and the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between at least one of the RNs and the UA are less than the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between the base station and the UA: allocate a DL communication channel resource on the base station to the UA; and allocate a UL communication channel resource on the at least one of the plurality of RNs to the UA.

10. The base station of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to, when the power level of the DL communication channel between the base station and the UA is less than the power level of the DL communication channel between at least one of the plurality of RNs and the UA, and the coupling losses of the UL communication channels between each of the RNs and the UA are greater than the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between the base station and the UA: allocate a DL communication channel resource on the at least one of the plurality of RNs to the UA; and allocate a UL communication channel resource on the base station to the UA.

11. The base station of claim 9 , wherein the base station includes an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node B (eNB).

12. The base station of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to: receive a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS); and use the SRS to determine a power level of a DL communication channel between at least one of the base station and the UA and one of the plurality of RNs and the UA.

13. The base station of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to use a margin to modify a value of at least one of the power levels and the coupling losses.

14. A base station for allocating resources of a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a processor, the processor being configured to: receive sounding reference signals (SRSs) from at least one of a user agent (UA) and the plurality of relay nodes (RNs), the SRSs describing power levels of uplink (UL) communication channels between the UA and the base station and between the UA and each of a plurality of RNs; when a power level of a UL communication channel between the UA and at least one of the plurality of RNs is greater than the power level of the UL communication channel between the UA and the base station, identify one of the RNs having the UL communication channel with the greatest power level out of the plurality of RNs; determine a receiving power of the UA from the base station and a receiving power of the UA from one of the plurality of RNs; and when the receiving power of the UA from the base station is greater than the receiving power of the UA from one of the plurality of RNs: allocate UL communication channel resources on both the base station and the one of the plurality of RNs to the UA, and allocate a downlink (DL) communication channel resource on the base station to the UA.

15. The base station of claim 14 , wherein the base station includes an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node B (eNB).

16. The base station of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to use a margin to modify a value of at least one of the power levels and the transmission powers.

17. A wireless communication system, comprising: a plurality of relay nodes (RNs), the RNs being configured to communicate with at least one of the base station and a user agent (UA); and a base station, the base station being configured to: determine power levels of downlink (DL) communication channels between the base station and the UA and between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA; determine coupling losses of uplink (UL) communication channels between the base station and the UA and between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA; and when the power level of the DL communication channel between the base station and the UA is greater than the power levels of the DL communication channels between each of the plurality of RNs and the UA, and the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between at least one of the RNs and the UA are less than the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between the base station and the UA: allocate a DL communication channel resource on the base station to the UA, and allocate a UL communication channel resource on the at least one of the plurality of RNs to the UA.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the base station is further configured to, when the power level of the DL communication channel between the base station and the UA is less than the power level of the DL communication channel between at least one of the plurality of RNs and the UA, and the coupling losses of the UL communication channels between each of the RNs and the UA are greater than the coupling losses of the UL communication channel between the base station and the UA: allocate a DL communication channel resource on the at least one of the plurality of RNs to the UA, and allocate a UL communication channel resource on the base station to the UA.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the base station is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node B (eNB).

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the base station is further configured to: receive a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS); and use the SRS to determine a power level of a DL communication channel between at least one of the base station and the UA and one of the plurality of RNs and the UA.

21. The system of claim 17 , wherein the base station is further configured to use a margin to modify a value of at least one of the power levels and the coupling losses.